The general hospital as the core of the mental health services system

Since the end of World War II, psychiatrists have been moving from state hospitals to community general hospitals in everincreasing numbers. The general hospital is fast becoming the coordinator of the mental health services system, largely because of its easy accessibility and the comprehensive medical and psychosocial care it can provide. In this paper, the first of four in this issue on general hospital psychiatry, the author provides an overview of the trend toward providing mental health services in the general hospital and discusses the programmatic, financial, and administrative advantages of such a system.